Abortion, Stem Cells No Longer Too Hot To Handle

There was a brief moment when it seemed like our perilous red state-blue state divide was closing. It was back when all those gun owners crossed the aisle to vote for Obama. But the hot-button issues are rearing their ugly heads again.

Obama made it out of Notre Dame this weekend with his characteristic poise and humor, but abortion opponents voiced their ire at his suspected desire to overturn Roe Vs. Wade.

The president responded by understating his pro-abortion rights position in favor of his more middle ground proposals like reducing the number of women seeking abortion, supporting women who carry unwanted pregnancies to term and enforcing a concience clause for health care workers opposed to abortion.

A full analysis of Obama’s statements ran in US News’ God and Country.

Stem cells rank just behind abortion on the divisiness scale with a slim majority of Americans supporting Obama’s lifting of a ban on using federal dollars for stem cell research.

Four in ten Americans maintain that stem cells should not be used in medical science under any circumstances. Curiously, Catholics rank slightly above non-Catholics in their support of the stem cell research.


Big Think’s stem cell expert is fifteen-year old Kyle Loh who is currently manipulating cell cultures at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. He remembers the day Obama lifted the federal ban and has come comments on the importance of federal funding for stem cell research.

Further Reading:

Salon considers the economic and political dichotomies of the stem cell debate.